Su Xinran was completely set off by that one comment : short and flat.
Ever since becoming a girl, she’d lost a full ten centimeters in height—something that had always been a sore spot for her.
Huang Qinyin let out a snicker.
Watching Su Xinran puff up in anger filled her with a sense of glee.
…
Inside the car, Su Xinran leaned on her hand, pretending to stare absentmindedly out the window, but in reality, she was wandering through the mall interface in her mind.
Compared to her old neighborhood, the environment here was much better.
Dilapidated buildings were being renovated, and there was an air of revitalization.
Ranzhu was driving, while Huang Qinyin sat in the passenger seat, sneakily watching Su Xinran through the rearview mirror.
Before long, the car arrived at today’s destination: St. Freya Academy.
St. Freya Academy was a renowned Valkyrie school not just in C City, but across the entire Demon Beast Nation.
It had been founded during the early days of the war and was co-established by humans and beastkin, showing a high level of inclusivity.
Even before the extinction of humanity, it welcomed human students.
At the entrance, a marble statue caught Su Xinran’s attention.
The sculpture depicted a girl clad in armor.
Her long hair floated dramatically, and there were fine scars etched into her face.
Her eyes were full of resolve as she stared straight ahead.
Around the base, red silk was blown by fans to simulate flickering flames.
“Who’s that statue of?” Su Xinran asked.
“That’s the Human Empress, Yang Mujing. One of the co-founders of St. Freya Academy—she was on the human side,” Huang Qinyin explained.
“Huh?” Su Xinran responded in surprise.
“You know, the one who fought the beastkin for eight months straight…”
“Yeah, that’s her. She was the principal’s close friend…”
“Hss…”
Su Xinran gave the statue a complicated look.
This is so over-the-top…
The two chatted for quite a while, but Ranzhu still hadn’t managed to park the car.
Forward, backward, left, right—no matter how she adjusted, she couldn’t align the car with the parking space.
“Want me to do it?” Huang Qinyin finally asked from the passenger seat, exasperated.
“What? I can park! I’m almost done anyway…”
Even as she spoke, the angle was still off.
Ranzhu had no choice but to pull out and try again.
“How about we get out and help guide you?” Su Xinran offered.
“Nah, no need. Watch me nail it this time!”
Still stubborn, Ranzhu pressed on.
After one more round of backing up—and another shrill beep beep from the reverse radar—even the security guard at the gate had had enough.
“Excuse me, we offer a complimentary valet service here. Would you like to use it?” the guard said with a polite cough, knocking on the driver’s window.
But Ranzhu’s eyes instantly turned cold.
“Are you saying I can’t park? Are you saying my driving’s so trash you need to step in, you bastard?!”
The murderous edge in her voice made the guard flinch.
Just as he was about to flee, Su Xinran reached from the back seat and grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait, don’t go! Ranzhu-jie, how can you turn down something free? Frugality is a core virtue of maids, you know…”
Su Xinran really didn’t want to hear that reverse radar beeping anymore.
“Mm… true. Fine!”
Finally finding an excuse to back down, Ranzhu unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, handing over the driver’s seat to the guard.
“What kind of people are you…” the guard muttered, sweating.
At the gate of St. Freya Academy, it was currently Friday the 10th, just after class, and the campus was bustling with activity.
“Hello, visitors, please check in at the security office.”
The security guard at the gate stopped the trio.
“We’ve made an appointment,” Ranzhu said, pulling a black envelope from her handbag.
It had a group insignia stamped on it.
The guard took the envelope, and as soon as he saw the emblem, his eyes sharpened.
He picked up the landline in the guardhouse and made a call.
“Understood. Please follow me.”
With the guard leading the way, Su Xinran stepped through the gates of St. Freya Academy.
The interior of St. Freya Academy was exquisitely elegant.
The students inside were all humanoid demon beasts—there were no exaggerated insectoids or hulking brutes.
Everyone wore refined uniforms, there was no chasing or shouting, just small groups of students walking and talking politely—graceful and well-mannered.
So graceful, in fact, that Su Xinran wouldn’t have been surprised if they each had a cup of tea in hand.
“Good day, beautiful lady~”
“Mm…”
As they passed, people greeted them with bows and refined greetings.
Everyone looked like noble young men and ladies.
Being admired so openly by so many people made even Su Xinran—who had been living as a girl for four years—blush a little.
Well… if my classmates are this polite, maybe going to school isn’t so scary after all.
This display eased much of Su Xinran’s anxiety about attending a demon beast academy.
The walk from the school gate to the administration building was quite long.
Though the elegant building was visible from the entrance, it still took a while to reach.
They took an elevator to the top floor.
At the end of the corridor hung a plaque with four graceful characters written on it:
“Forget Me Not” .
Su Xinran looked puzzled.
“What room is this?”
“This is our principal’s office,” the guard replied.
“Eh… wait, don’t tell me those words were written by the principal in mourning for a lost beloved friend?!”
Su Xinran exclaimed in shock.
“Yes…”
The guard sighed.
“This…”
Su Xinran felt her heart stir.
To be such close friends, only to become enemies because of their races… forced to watch your dearest friend die on the battlefield…
How tragic…
The principal’s hair must’ve turned gray from grief.
Su Xinran could practically picture it—the principal, tearfully drowning herself in liquor in a dimly lit room, surrounded by empty bottles, eternally mourning her beloved…
As she was lost in thought, the guard knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” a slightly muffled female voice responded from within.
The guard pushed the door open.
Creaaak—the full view of the principal’s office unfolded before them.
A fiery red carpet covered the floor, emblazoned with the image of a red-haired girl gripping a massive sword, her gaze fierce and resolute.
That wasn’t all—the walls were lined with paintings of the same girl in various heroic poses.
The paintings covered the walls so completely there wasn’t a single inch of empty space, creating a dizzying effect just from a glance.
On both sides of the room stood rows of glass display cases, densely packed with figurines of the same girl in all sorts of outfits.
Swimsuits, school swimsuits, school uniforms, gothic lolita dresses, armored skirts, maid performance costumes…
Some of them even looked… unsuitable for children.
In the center of the room hung a grand chandelier, and a large black solid-wood desk stood beneath it.
A glass window let sunlight stream into the space.
At the desk, lying face-down among scattered office supplies… was a girl with long silver hair.
Her hair was tied in an enormous braid, and she wore a black-and-white modified nun-like dress that radiated a sacred aura.
But what she was doing with her hands…